Posted by Tim Mallow's View

TMR Football Blogger, Tom Mallows-

Throughout his long and high-profile career, Michael Owen has thrilled those looking at football betting tips with his mazy runs, been turned into a hero at St James's Park, Anfield, and to a lesser degree Old Trafford, and experienced life at Real Madrid.

However, following the revelation that he is once again set for a spell on the sidelines with an injury problem (and yes... of course it's the hamstring again), is now the time for Owen to step down from the football stage and make the most of the good will he still receives from fans and the press in order to combat the Premier League's current image problem, with players becoming ever more synonymous with greed and excess?

Owen has always been seen by those assessing the football betting odds as one of the quieter, more refined players in English football and is therefore one of the best positioned individuals to help the current crop of footballers tackle the image problem that they are having to deal with. Combine this with the fact that Fergie clearly no longer needs Owen, with young Javier Hernadez starting to impress the Old Trafford faithful, and you can see that, even when fit again, Owen is no longer going to be anything more crucial to the team than a bit part player.

With Ian Wright seemingly the 'face' of ex-professional players in his current role at The Sun, Owen is surely someone who could do a far better job at talking about the modern game and the way that it affects players, as he has recently done successfully on Radio Five Live.

If Owen did decide to pick this route for his career, then the destination of the Premier League is unlikely to be affected, with the striker rarely contributing to United's title efforts last season. Indeed, if he does stick around in the game and fight for his place, he may still find that, even if United win the league, he will not have been in the side enough times to qualify for a winners' medal.